KUALA LUMPUR, 20 August 2018: Malindo Air touched down in Silangit International Airport the gateway to Indonesia’s Lake Toba last Friday.
It marks the first direct international airline connection from Kuala Lumpur to Silangit, which is the closest airport to Lake Toba.
Most airlines offer one-stop services via Jakarta, Medan or Kuala Namu where they connect with flights to Silangit. End-to-end travel time is around five hours.
Flight OD360 departs Kuala Lumpur at 1345 for a one-hour and 30-minute flight using an ATR72-600 aircraft with 72 seats.
The return flight, OD361, will depart from Silangit International Airport at 1450 (local time) and arrive in Subang at 1715.
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On arrival at Silangit the inaugural flight was given a customary water cannon salute and passengers were greeted by a traditional dance performance.
Malindo Air CEO, Chandran Rama Muthy said: “This new connection… will encourage more return travellers to visit Lake Toba, which will promote tourism development and benefit the local economy as well.”
He said the airline would consider other direct connections from Subang to Indonesia in the future.
Visit Indonesia country manager Malaysia, Kelvin Ong added: “We are pleased to welcome this new airlift from Kuala Lumpur to Lake Toba, which will provide a direct flight for Malaysian travellers to reach Lake Toba.
Lake Toba is one of the largest volcanic lakes in the world. The lake is surrounded by mountains, hot springs, and waterfalls.
Silangit’s Siborong-Borong Airport was opened by Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo 28 October 2017. Garuda was the first airline to serve the airport flying from Singapore.
